I love this time of year

Yesterday, as I walked to the truck to get my son from school; I spotted a robin. "That's it", I thought, "Winter's over." We could get more snow. We could even get more ice, but the presence of robins means no more hard freezes.
The sparrows think so too. Today they were singing out their territory calls. "I'm here! Girls,girls,girls,girls, I'm here!" Soon the jays will be fighting for the best trees. The cardinals will stake out turf near the bird feeders; so as to get the best sunflower seeds. The neighborhood will be filled with splashes of color. In a month or so, the birds of prey will figure out that there's an abundance of food here; and I'll get to see the hawks and falcons.

The first year we lived here, I got to see bats up close. I also met the groundhog that lives under the porch 2 doors down. The next year I saw a turkey, bald eagles and a skunk. Can you believe I live in a city? I wonder what new critters I'll see this year.